Is it just me or is this totally unnecessary?

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

Guardian eco 'magazine' masquerading as caring about the planet while in reality being one long chain of adverts for consumer goods 🙄 but aside from that - this is the front cover illustration. I'm just struck with the question 'why?' Why the happy perky simplistic illustration has to be a woman with her legs spread and buttocks in the air drawn from behind. Wtf does that have to do with or add to why organic is the answer. I know it's minor in the grand scheme of things but it's just so tiring how this shit pervades absolutely everywhere.

I agree. It is starting to get pervasive. I'm not convinced much of it is entirely conscious, which, for me, is more disconcerting.

Not just you. That's fucking offensive.

That is extremely weird. What a very odd choice.

It's to do with the word organic being close to orgasmic. It's ridiculous, unnecessary and infantile. Guardian don't care that women would find it offensive.

Do you really think so? I find that even more unbelievable but you may well be right.

Puerile may be the right word for this rubbish.

You have to blame My Green Pod for the illustration not The Guardian. Take a look at their site: www.mygreenpod.com/

I know nothing about yoga, but my first thought seeing that image is that they are trying link organic gardening with a yoga type lifestyle.

Agree Nancy and it makes more sense in context with the other pics on their website.
Yanbu to be annoyed though, op - it got a resigned sigh from me.

Doesn't seem worth being worked up about. Bums are funny.

Not to lots of men ogling women's and girls bums they aren't.

I think it's yoga organic healthy thing but YANBU op.

Dismissive, nice. I'm not 'worked up'.

Anyhoo, the style is similar across their site but this is still the only totally weird one and I note that no men are presented in any similar position.

That was to Msblue btw. I mean - yeah yoga, but legs apart, bum up, from behind is not the only or even the obvious way to reference yoga imo. I'd have got a yoga ref much more from say standing, one leg bent up while doing the watering.

Wtaf?

Someone needs to get hold of that ad company, pry the Carry On films out of their hands, and explain to them the 1960s are over.

I wish I could just agree that bums are funny. But the drawing is so purposefully gendered as to render that argument rather futile. The pink shoes and watering can as well as unnecessary boobs make sure they we KNOW it's woman's bum we're "laughing" at, and if the joke is just "haha bums!" It wouldn't be necessary . I agree with others though that it's so entrenched now that it's no longer even a conscious choice

Ey?

Why on Earth is she posed like that? How has that got anything to do with being organic unless she’s using her own faeces as fertiliser?

I completely agree OP, I got a flyer through the door today for Jigsaw. It had a photo on it of a young woman / teenage girl with her shirt undone so you could see her bratop. This is a company marketing to middle aged women, why do they think we want to see young women presented this way?

I think whoever drew that was subconsciously thinking of someone who'd confuse their arse with their elbow.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon

That was to Msblue btw. I mean - yeah yoga, but legs apart, bum up, from behind is not the only or even the obvious way to reference yoga imo. I'd have got a yoga ref much more from say standing, one leg bent up while doing the watering.

Yep. Tree pose would seem more apt.

@JaninaDuszejko

I completely agree OP, I got a flyer through the door today for Jigsaw. It had a photo on it of a young woman / teenage girl with her shirt undone so you could see her bratop. This is a company marketing to middle aged women, why do they think we want to see young women presented this way?

Maybe the message is - shop at Jigsaw and then you can be just as sexually alluring as her..?

I don't know a yoga pose like that one.

That is quite an offensive and demeaning depiction of a woman. A man wouldn't be drawn in that pose with his bum sticking out in the face of the reader. There are lots of ways to draw yoga poses that do not involve sexualising women in media. This kind of stuff is everywhere these days. It's like we are regressing in terms of how women are depicted - all kinds of sexualised imagery with legs spread apart. It's demeaning and disrespectful because men are never depicted like this. It's not funny or cute.

Weird AF. And yes agree that tree pose would be both more recognisable and more relevant to the subject. It seems that for all the progress we think we’ve made, women’s bodies are still just commodities to be used for selling things. Shit drawing too.

In plain sight

Yep I agree, peurile. Glad I don't know the site and have never given them cash. Certainly won't now.